


Into The Wild

by graveparty



Category: Mad Max Fury Road (2015), Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Camping, Alternate Universe - Hiking, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Human vs Potato idk there aren't clear protagonists, Humans vs Nature, Kid Fic, just for fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 11:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8444515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graveparty/pseuds/graveparty
Summary: "Today we’re headin’ to Yellowstone! Today we’re goin’ camping! And today, we’re wearin’ seat belts!” Mad Max Fury Road Camping AU featuring the City Scouts, the Green Girls, and a pair of silly Park Rangers.





	1. Chapter 1

 

Ace was finishing up the brake job on the Westland City van when the phone rang at Warby’s Garage. “Shop’s closed.” he muttered. His crew had all gone home for the night and he had stayed late to finish up this project before the van’s big excursion in the morning. The phone rang again as he zipped the lug nuts tight. He finished with the drill and ran a hand over the thinning tread of the tire. That would need to be replaced too, he thought. He flipped the lights off in his shop, checked his phone messages and was greeted with three missed calls from Maadi, produce manager at the local grocery store and troop leader of the City Scouts.

 

Maadi had volunteered to lead the City Scouts a few years ago when a meager grant of government funds became available to foster civic stewardship in lower-income neighborhoods. The group was tasked with park clean-ups and food drives, but they’d also taken to mixing in outdoors activities to keep the kids interested.

 

Ace couldn’t exactly say how he’d gotten roped into becoming assistant scout troop leader, but it all started when Maadi and the Scouts would roll into his garage for air top-offs and oil changes in the rusting city van the Scouts used on outings. Being one of the oldest shops in town, Warby’s had the cheapest labor rates and Ace always threw in a spare pint of oil for their leaky engine. He’d also jokingly tossed in a roll of duct tape when Maadi suggested it’d be best used on Morsov after a particularly stressful trip.

 

The troop had taken a real shine to him. Even if it was something so simple as filling the tires on their bikes strapped to the back of the van, he’d keep shop protocol to announce each action through the garage. “Pressure check, Bay Two! Air, Bay Two!” Eventually, Maadi and the Scouts convinced him to let them host a car wash fundraiser in front of his shop, with their group making signs and shouting at satisfied customers to donate for them to buy new camping gear.

 

Ace locked up his shop and drove the van towards his house around the corner, dialing Maadi back as soon as he was on the road.

 

“There you are, Ace! I’ve been ringing you all afternoon.”

 

“Sorry, Maadi. I’ve been busting ass getting the van finished.” The shop had been loud too, but he didn’t like to make excuses.

 

“I have some bad news, amigo.” She sighed and continued. “I fractured my damn ankle today unloading potatoes. Nearly killed myself on a rogue tuber spilled from the pallet.”

 

“Shit, Maads. Sure you’re still up for a weekend in the woods?”

 

“Even with these painkillers? Not a chance in hell.”

 

He reached his house and pulled into his own garage, switching the phone to his left and shifting the van in park “Alright...so we postpone it.” Yellowstone wasn’t going to go anywhere this century.

 

“The kids are back to school next week. They’ve been looking forward to this trip all summer!” She pressed further when he didn’t supply a response. “Ace, _please_. They’ve worked so hard for it.”

 

“Right, I’ll have to lead the Scouts all weekend. Solo mission.” He rarely had to lead a Scout event without Maadi, and never an overnighter. He hoped he was keeping a confident front over the phone.

 

“Ah, that’s the reliable guy I know! My girls will be ready at seven a.m. _sharp_!”

 

Ace hung up and sat for minute as the radiator cooling fan purred. He sighed and looked at the Polaroid clipped to the van’s flipped-down sun visor above him. It was from last summer’s camp-out and the City Scouts were all lined up in matching ash-grey t-shirts printed with the city emblem. Not satisfied with the minimalist uniforms the city had supplied, Maadi had given them all red bandanas to tie around their necks and Ace had outfitted them with olive green hats from the army surplus store.

 

Their ragtag crew in the photo looked so proud, all toothy grins and eager eyes. Each had grown since then. Slit had filled in his two front teeth, and Ace could’ve sworn Nux and Furiosa had both shot up a hand taller over the last school year. He set his jaw and pulled the keys from the ignition. Maadi was right, this trip had to happen. Ace prided himself on being adaptable to any situation, but had his years in the Navy and his gig managing Warby’s garage prepared him for being the sole responsible adult for six adolescents? He hoped so.

 

Ace cracked open a beer and looked over the camping list posted to his fridge. His neat, blocky script first called for the road map. Rest of the list he found on the shelves of his home’s garage: one large canvas tent, a few extra tarps for ground cover, seven sleeping bags, a box of cookware, a first aid kit. He’d become the troop’s quartermaster over the last year, supplementing the gear their fundraisers had paid for with some of his own.

 

He rummaged through a crate of dry foods to check expiration dates and threw out a few cans of old Spaghettios. Maadi always took care of the perishable goods, she’d have that ready in the morning.

 

One last and very important thing: water. He ran the rations as usual, murmuring the calculations under his breath. One liter per kid per day...six kids..times two days. Nah, bump it to three for emergencies and spills. Plus, they were getting bigger and probably needed more in the tank. He filled three carboys from the garden hose and staged them with the growing mountain of gear.

 

Now, to somehow make it all fit in the back of the van.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Maadi eased down onto the cool concrete steps of her porch and slid her crutches aside. Her watch read 6:45, meaning Ace and the van of camping supplies would be pulling in any minute. She sipped her coffee and enjoyed the moment of calm as her girls ventured between the house and the porch, gathering a few last minute things for their trip.

 

Val sat on the step in front of her. “Mom, can you braid my hair before we go?”

 

Furiosa watched the two and raked her hand through her short crop of hair. She wished she could help. Maybe this winter when Aunt Maadi would be able to get her a shinier prosthetic with better mechanics. She hoped the new medical bills from Maadi’s recent fall wouldn't get in the way of that.

 

 

A few blocks away, Ace was picking up foster-brothers Max and Nux. Max was sitting on the swing in the front yard, eyes downcast and feet dragging in the dirt. Nux sprang into the van first and Max left his spot on the swing to trudge behind slowly.

 

“Mornin, boys. Gonna have to put your backpacks on the floor for now. Rest of the trunk space is for when we get to Maadi’s.”

 

Ace observed that Nux is all smiles but Max was sitting with his arms crossed and glaring at his brother. “What’s going on, Max? You still wakin up?” It was hard to tell with these kids sometimes, but he was trying to get better at it.

 

Max huffed and looked out the window, giving Nux a chance to explain. “He’s just cranky ‘cause he wants my Ninja Turtles jacket.” Nux held up an arm to illustrate and pulled the hood low over his forehead, revealing the built-in turtle mask with eyeholes. “Look, Ace! Now I’m Leonardo!”

 

Max couldn’t stay silent for long. He unfolded his arms and pointed to his brother. “Nux, that’s _my jacket_. M-miss Keep got it for me.” He'd only been staying at Miss Keep’s since the beginning of summer and had been enrolled in City Scouts as a way to make new friends. Everything from Before was being taken away from him lately; his friends, his bike, his dog.

 

Max reached at the jacket hood and tried to pull it down but Nux leaned towards the window away from Max’s pawing. He clamped his hands down over the hood and tried to reason with Max. “No, we’re supposed to _share_ it. Miss Keep said so! It’s my jacket today.” What she had actually said was there weren’t enough new jackets in the bin of hand-me-downs to go around, but Nux had lived in her home for three years now and knew what she really meant.

 

Ace intervened, reasoning that Nux can wear the jacket for the first half of the trip and Max will get it for the last half. “Or if you want, Nux can wear it starting in the morning and you’ll get it in the afternoon. That sound good, Max?”

 

A new tactic might be needed. “Hey, look here. Found a Hot Wheels comic you guys might like.” He passed the thin book to Max who cautiously lifted the yellowed pages to see the racecars inside. “Careful with it, now. Was mine when I was your age.”

 

They arrived at Maadi’s before seven and Ace got out of the van, leaving Nux and Max to sit with their new distraction. “Mornin, Maadi. Look like you’ve seen brighter days.”

“Hey, Ace.” She put her coffee down and waved to him from her stoop. “Hopefully it’s about to be a better morning, once these start to kick in.” She rattled a bottle of pills and returned it to the pocket of her robe. “I’m never eating potatoes again, by the way.” A laugh, and Ace lifted the cooler she set aside on the porch to load into the van.

 

Maadi sat up straighter and remembered, “There’s also a bag of s’mores stuff on the counter. Could someone-”

 

Furiosa was already in the kitchen to fetch it. She brought the bag to Ace to pack in with the rest and quickly called “Shotgun!” when she saw Nux and Max in the second row of seats. She climbed in the front passenger seat and clicked in her belt, a habit formed the hard way ever since the car accident last year.

 

Ace finished loading the food and checked his watch just as Morsov and Slit were biking down the street, their pedaling slowed down by the burden of their overstuffed backpacks.

 

“Maadi! Ace!! Look what I can do!” Slit sped up and tried to jump the curb but his bulky backpack threw off his center of gravity, sending him and his bike toppling over with the spiky metal gears pressed against his leg.

 

Ace ran over to Slit’s side to help get him free from under the bike. Slit howled in pain and winced out the first bad words he could muster. “ _Dammage_!! Shiiiiit-ake mushrooms...ouch that huuurts.” He held his shin with both hands, a thin line of blood peeking between his fingers.

 

Ace helped him shrug off his backpack and somehow Max was already at his side with the first aid kit. Max daubed the new laceration carefully with gauze, flinching in unison with his injured friend. “Sorry, Slit. _Sorry…_.”

 

They’re not even to camp yet and the Scouts are already put to their first test. Ace kept Slit calm and supervised Max’s work. “It’s ok, Slit, Max’ll get ya fixed up. Yeah, that’s the way.”

 

Max gingerly sprayed the cut with disinfectant and pats the bandage in place, quietly murmuring “Sorry, Slit. So sorry...just a minute and it will be a-okay...there.”

 

With help from Ace and Morsov, Slit got up and limped over to the porch to greet Maadi and Val. “Maybe next time you’re over you can show us that bike trick _without_ the backpack.” She offers a warm smile and sends her daughter on a mission.

 

“Val, my ankle salve on the bathroom sink? Can you grab that for Slit, please?” Maadi doesn’t know how she’d survive long days at the grocery store without her favorite eucalyptus concoction. Val returned with the green tin of Organic’s Own and made a face at the grotesque caricature depicted. “If this is supposed to make Slit feel better, I don’t think he’ll want to look at the lid.”

 

Maadi rolled her eyes and handed the tin to Slit. “Here, put this on between dressings. It’ll make it hurt less.” She knows he’ll forget but it won’t hurt to try. “Why don’t you two go say hello to Nux and find your seats in the van.”

 

Morsov wheeled their bikes into Maadi’s shed and joined Slit and Val in the back seat behind Nux and Max. Slit still had few tears in his eyes, but was set on making sure everyone knew he was alright. “Guys, this scar will be so cool. Gonna be shaped like a bike’s gear!”

 

Val patted his shoulder affectionately and nodded. “That’s him. That’s our Slit!”

 

Ace got in the driver's seat and shut his door. Go time. “City Scouts!” Ace clapped twice through the commotion and ordered the group to attention before they pulled out of the driveway. The  rowdy bunch listened to their troop leaders when given the right commands.

 

“Today we’re headin’ to Yellowstone!”

 

“Yeah! Whoo-hoo!!”

 

“Today we’re goin’ camping!”

 

“Camping! _Yesss_!”

 

“And today, we’re wearin’ seat belts!” He looked to Furiosa and nodded. She was usually the first in her seatbelt. Unified clicks of seat belts and Ace honked the horn twice while the kids all waved goodbye to Maadi.

 

Their wounded troop leader stood from her stoop as they backed out of the driveway and delivered a final benediction. “Do me proud, City Scouts! Have fun! _Be Safe_!!”

 

* * *

 

 

As Ace got them to the highway, Furiosa settled into her seat in the front and unfolded the map. She located the green blob of park before declaring “I’m the navigator today. I’ve been practicing orienteering.”

 

Ace put on his sunglasses and agreed, “Ok, which way we gotta go?”

 

She traced her finger from the city of Westland and followed the thick highway line leading to the patch of Yellowstone National Park. “East, Ace. Gotta go due east.”

 

“Well, which way are we headed now, Boss?”

 

“Umm…The Sun rises Early in the East.” She recited what he taught her and pivoted her head to locate the sunrise on the horizon. “We’re _already_ heading east.” She liked to figure things out herself, and liked that Ace’s teaching moments weren’t taken as an opportunity to lecture her like some adults tended to do.

 

“That’s right, Furiosa. Let me know if I stop going east.” He took a swig from the thermos of coffee Maadi packed him and clicked on the classic rock station their radio was permanently tuned.

 

Morsov slumped over Nux and Max’s seat to get Ace’s attention over the music. “Aaace! It’s hot back here. I need some air conditioning.”

 

“Sorry, pal. AC’s been dead since before you were born.” He thumped the dusty dashboard for emphasis. It’d take more than just Morsov’s whining to get the City to spring for the repair. He cranked his window all the way down and fanged it past a hauler of Mustangs in the slower lane, a little surprised at how the V6 responded. At least the engine hadn’t gone to shit.

 

Slit chimed in, fully recovered from his bicycle accident and back to his usual ways. “The mountain air will toughen you up, Morsov. Make you less of a whiny baby.” Morsov swung a light punch over to Slit’s thigh and Slit tried to retaliate.

 

Val suddenly regretted choosing to sit between Slit and Morsov. “Cut it out! Hey, why don’t we all play the Quiet Game? Haven’t done that in forever.”

 

Nux looked up from the comic book he was sharing with Max and pulled on Ace’s shoulder. “We forgot to do the Scout Oath at Maadi’s. Can’t forget about the Oath!”

 

“The Oath? Ah, right. Good call, Nux. Ace dialed down the radio and got their attention again. “Hey, Scouts. Time for the Oath! Left hands up, all of you. Morsov, let’s go.” They recited the words together, higher voices balancing out Ace’s low timbre.  

 

“ _By my Deeds,_

_I will do my Best,_

_To Strengthen my Community,_

_And to help to my Fellow Scouts._ ”

 

Satisfied he covered everything, Ace turned the radio back to jamming volume but was quickly drowned out by the repetitive lyrics of Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall, the Scouts all led in song by none other than Slit. Ace clicked off the radio. Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, might as well join in.

 

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

In the parking lot of Yellowstone National Park headquarters, Ranger Joe and Ranger Kal sat silently in their park-issued Bronco. The white SUV was packed with camping gear, food, and water for their upcoming weekend work detail. They'd been sitting there for a few minutes now, both men hesitant to make the next move.

 

Ranger Kal broke the silence. "Do you think he’d even notice if we just left now and high-tailed it to town, instead? I hear the new casino’s a good time. Got an old-west themed saloon, even.”

 

Ranger Joe exhaled from his seat behind the wheel. He grabbed his wide-brimmed hat from the dash and secured it atop his blond ponytail. “It’s just a bunch of kids. I know we're both used to trail patrol, but how bad can they _really_ be?”

 

Their manager, Rich, had sequestered them to the remote group camping area for the weekend. The site was slated to host three scout troops by noon so Rictus and Ripsaw from the maintenance department had spent most of the morning clearing brush and stacking firewood in preparation. They still hadn’t returned, but everyone knew they were probably just making a mess and goofing around with the chainsaws.

 

“Joe, he’s sending us out to the sticks as punishment. It’s one-hundred-percent intentional for what we did last week.”

 

“What _we_ did? Who's idea was it to sign us up for range practice before the boss signed off on the bill, huh?”

 

Regardless of the punishment, Ranger Kal thought it had been totally worth it blowing through all that ammo at the federal government's expense in the name of Practice.

 

“Either way, this weekend is going to be boring as hell. Ain’t shit to do out there. You and I both know it.”

 

“Ah, Kal. Ever the pessimist.” Ranger Joe began to speak slower and Ranger Kal braced for whatever bullshit was about to be orated to him. “We are going to enjoy the majesty of nature. Live like our forefathers who explored this great land many moons ago. Think of it as one last hurrah before the busy summer season ends.”

 

Confident in his decree, Joe started the Bronco and the two rumbled down the valley towards the group camping area.

 

“Besides,” Ranger Joe continued “I packed a cooler of beers when Rich wasn't looking. You done sulking yet?” Although trained as law enforcement officers, the two employed a wild-west sense about official park rules which was how they’d endured working together for so long.

 

Ranger Kal sat up from where he was slumped and punched the armrest  of Ranger Joe’s seat. “Hooo buddy, you know it! Gonna get wild!” Suddenly, Ranger Kal was looking forward to working in the middle of nowhere all weekend, black bears, bobcats, or feral children be damned.

 

Ranger Joe knew that look and eyed the shotgun racked behind him and the dual pistols on his comrade’s belt warily. Things might get wild, indeed. “Better get a hold of Dispatch. Tell Corpus we’re on our way out.” They’d have to drive at least thirty minutes from the Ranger Station to reach their post.

 

Ranger Kal got on the radio and signaled to Corpus. “Unit Eight to Control, Eight to Control.” His bony hand clutched the radio and waited a beat for Corpus to respond, thumb on the ready to call again until a response buzzed through.

 

“This is Control. Go ahead.”

 

“Unit Eight posting to Group camp-sites. Repeat, on our way out to Group.”

 

Before he terminated communications, Ranger Joe grabbed the radio from Ranger Kal and made another request. “How’s it lookin at the fire tower, Corpus?” It had been a dry summer and everyone was keeping an eye out for wildfires.

 

Silence for a moment and then Corpus responded. “Fire alert remains High today.”

 

Something had to break in the forecast before the whole park became a wild blaze.

 

* * *

 

The sounds of tarps being shaken out and metal tent poles clanging together filled a grove of juniper trees as Ace supervised the chaos of the Scouts hoisting their large white canvas tent. He tasked Slit with a small mallet to pound stakes in the ground at each corner when he heard the _thwip-thwap_ of rolled-up sleeping bags being weaponized between two Scouts.

 

“Max, Furiosa, throw those in here and get the rest laid out. You can finish your melee after we’ve set camp.” The two shoved each other a few more times and Furiosa whacked Max’s side with her sleeping bag, running towards the van to escape him and fetch the rest of their gear.

 

A marked Ranger vehicle drove a lap around the gravel road looping the campsites before parking two sites over from the left of the Scouts. Ace eyed the mudflaps adorned with a busty chrome woman in profile and thought the emblem was something that might roll through Warby’s rather than placed on a government-issued vehicle. He turned back to send Nux and Slit to drag two bundles of firewood from the center of camp to their fire ring.

 

Rangers Joe and Kal were rummaging through the back of their Bronco in search of the tent Rich’s assistant, Kat, had supposedly sent with them. She’d helped them pack what seemed like half the camping gear in the ranger station that morning, her boss trying to get the two out of his office as soon as possible.

 

The radio at Joe’s belt beeped and sputtered. “Command to Unit Eight.”

 

“Unit Eight. Go ahead, Rich.” They’d only just gotten to their post and he was checking up on them already?

 

“Your Russian Exchange group cancelled at the last minute so you'll just have two scout troops to keep an eye on this weekend.”

 

Ranger Joe took in the new information and watched as Ranger Kal pulled a tent from the Bronco. His face fell as he read the box, holding it up and giving Joe and incredulous glare.  

 

Joe connected the dots and pulled the radio back up. “This some kind of joke, Rich?” Silence on the other end so he continued “Your new budget only allow for the tiniest of tents?”

 

The tent clearly stated dimensions for one person and was the type used for a backpacking trip. They knew their boss was a cheap-ass, but this was a new low. Even for him.

 

“Must have been an error on the suppliers’ end. Radios are for official park business only. End this transmission _NOW_.”

 

Ranger Joe left Ranger Kal to assemble the tent and sped off to get his blood pressure back down, disguised as a patrol around the campground. Maybe it was a good thing he wasn't around the office now because he had more words for Rich that might get him arrested if the kids nearby overheard.  

 

Once the Scout’s camp was assembled, the group sat with crossed legs in a circle and feasted on the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apple slices Maadi had packed that morning. Furiosa pored over the park map they picked up at the trailhead and called out suggestions for hiking spots.

 

“We could check out Skull Cave trail, that sounds pretty cool.”

 

“What about Elk Pass?” Max made the suggestion aloud but immediately lowered his eyes. He didn’t like being the center of attention. Plus, Skull Cave sounded a little scary.

 

“There’s a connector trail, why don’t we do both?” Furiosa didn’t want to shoot down his idea, although the terrain for both was rated as Difficult. It would take them a while to cover that much trail, and she noticed Slit was still walking with a slight limp from earlier.

 

Morsov leaned on Furiosa’s shoulder and tried to read the map. “How far is it?”

 

Furiosa added the distance of the two trails. “Six...seven...nine kilometers. That’s um….Ace, how far is that in miles?”

 

“Nine klicks? That’s about six miles or so. Yeah, six miles should take us about two hours, maybe three if terrain is tough. Sun don’t set for another five so I think we can handle it.” Ace stood and collected the empty sandwich bags from the kids, getting peanut butter and jelly all over his hands in the process. He wiped them off on his green cargo shorts and consulted the rest of the group. “What do you say, Scouts? Val, Slit? Ready to explore?” The two were sword-fighting with sticks they’d found in the tree line. They stopped their battle long enough to ask “Huh?”

 

“C’mon guys. Let’s go!” Nux jumped up and galloped around the camp, his hat falling off as he tumbled his lanky limbs into a cartwheel.

 

Ace picked up the boy’s discarded hat and tossed it back to him, then made sure his own black Warby’s cap was lidded down tight. “C’mon Scouts, let’s hoof it.”

 

A newer, shinier white van with a crisp leaf logo passed them as the troop began their march towards the trailhead. Val read the van’s markings to herself: “ _Green Girls - Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders._ ”

 

The door slid open and the new troop emerged from their van with clean white shirts and matching green sashes, all full of colorful merit badges. Ace noticed their leader was a bit older than himself with sleeves of intricate tattoos on both arms, some kind of flowery design with evergreen trees in the background. Now that they had neighbors he’d have to keep a better ear out for his own group’s noise levels. One more thing Maadi was always better at regulating.

 

“Guys, look! More scouts!” Nux grabbed Slit’s shoulder and pointed.

 

“Not nice to stare, Nux. We can say Hi to ‘em when we get back. Roll-out, troop. ” Ace did a head-count of the kids and made sure all six were outfitted in their red bandanas and green caps. They might not have been the shiniest troop at camp, but they always made due with what they had. He led the Scouts to the sign for Skull Cave Trail and through a grove of pine trees, starting them off with a few of the more kid-appropriate sound-offs he remembered from his boot camp days.

 

The Scouts settled in to the rhythm of their hike, their chants punctuated with hawk screeches overhead and the wind circulating the sharp scents of juniper and pine around them. A clearing in the green eventually revealed a cathedral of basalt with two boulders jutting above a low, wide opening at the mouth of Skull Cave, just tall enough for the Scouts to sit and dangle their feet over the edge.

 

Ace stood at the shoulder-high rock crevice, making sure noone decided to jump down without help. Slit crouched towards the darkness and howled into the narrow cave, a few of the kids followed and inched deeper into the space, competing with each other to fill it with barks and hoots.

 

“That’s enough racket. Come on, back to the ledge.” Ace pulled Morsov down and made another try to get the others back. “I can’t fly after ya if a swarm of bats carries you out.” That was the nudge they needed, and suddenly the Scouts were clambering to the opening to be lifted back down to trail level.  

 

Furiosa took point once they reached Elk Pass, striking up their favorite song, Roadkill Stew, once the group tired of Ace’s military chants. Their songs died down over the next hour, small feet feeling the effects of the rocky terrain and stomachs beginning to grumble.

 

“Ace, I’m getting hungry!” Being the youngest, Morsov was often the first to bring up being uncomfortable but he usually spoke for the whole group.

 

“Yeah, and my feet are sore!” Slit plopped down onto a fallen tree to pull off one of his hiking boots and shake out a pebble that was lodged inside.

 

“We’ll take a break here, fill up on water and trail mix.” Ace had to keep the troop in good spirits if they were going to get back before dusk. Instead of undoing the network of chest and waist straps of his hiking pack, he squatted on his heels so Val could get to the bag. “We’re over halfway done, guys. Just gotta make the final haul.”

 

Max grumbled what everyone was thinking next. “We walked downhill the first half, so it’s gonna be a harder hike back.”

 

Furiosa paused from her rock stool where she was scratching a design in the fuzzy moss with her hook. Ace eyed the orange-and-pink clouds above. Sun was setting earlier this time of the season. “He’s right, gang. Better keep moving.” He stood from his squat. “Slit, put your boot back on. Double-knots so the rocks stay out.”

 

Dusk was becoming more of a reality as they hiked the last segment of the connector trail. Furiosa stalled on the path and raised both arms from the front of the pack. “Everyone stop!” A skunk was staring her down from behind a fern, beady eyes hidden behind tufts of black and white.

 

Val stood tall at Furiosa’s side and aimed her slingshot towards the skunk, arm cocked back and right eye focused. “Steady... _stead_ y….”  She had the critter in her sights and planned to scare it off, not with a headshot but maybe she could hit the ground nearby. Val held her breath but before she released the pebble the stomp of small feet behind her as Morsov charged down the path with a long stick raised high.

 

Ace tried to reach for the wild boy but couldn’t lunge from his place in the back of the pack in time. “NO, Morsov! STOP!!”

 

The skunk raised its tail and the whole group froze. Morsov stopped in his tracks but it was too late. “Ahhh, no! Stupid skunk!!”

 

* * *

 

The return hike had only taken half an hour and it was almost dark when they got to camp. Ace passed his flashlight over their site and assessed to himself what needed to be done. His shoulders dropped and he motioned to Morsov. “C’mon. Let’s get you cleaned up before dinner.” Even without being in the direct line of the skunk’s spray, the scent still clouded sharply around the boy.

 

“Val, Max, you two are on fire duty. Slit and Furi, we’ll need sticks sharpened for chow time.” He unclipped his canteen from his belt and set it on the picnic table. “Nux, top off everyone’s waters, please. Jugs are in the back of the van.” After making sure the kids had found what they needed, Ace and Morsov ventured through the dark to find the stream to clean him up, scaring off a few raccoons and opossums in the process.

 

Val and Max debated on using a teepee versus log cabin configuration of sticks to start the camp fire and decided to try a mix of both. They borrowed Furiosa’s flint and steel and worked tediously on scraping the fire to life. Although Maadi and Ace had never let them use fuel to learn how to do fire, some days Max just wanted to see what would happen if he doused it and watched it go Kaboom.

 

Ace wrapped Morsov tight in a green wool army blanket and set him in front of the fire to keep him from shivering. The stream had been chilly, but it was all they had for washing up after a skunk attack. Furiosa giggled from where she was crouched over sharpening a stick. “You're a burrito, Morsov!” The green burrito beamed back at her through the growing flames of the campfire.

 

She had a stick wedged between her knees and wielded her pocket knife, filing the bark from it and shaving a point to the end. Ace kept an eye on Furiosa’s carving to make sure her knife technique was good, cutting away from herself and keeping her thumb clear. Furiosa handed Morov the sharpened stick and skewered a sausage to the end of it.  

 

Val sorted through the bag of s’mores ingredients and was at once disappointed. “The graham crackers are all crushed! Who sat on them??” She looked around the circle to see if anyone would fess up.

 

Slit was the first to loudly answer and try to avert her blame. “Oh man, that really sucks. Can’t make s’mores without graham crackers. Did you do it, Morsov?” He turned to the smaller boy and eyed him suspiciously.  


“Nuh-uh! It wasn’t me.” Morsov shot Slit a dirty look and leaned into Ace’s side. He was always being picked on for being little.

 

Ace yawned and pushed his jaw to the side until he felt a pop. This constant conflict management was mentally exhausting. “It’s not the end of the world, Slit. Nux, Furiosa, why don’t you guys go over to our neighbors and see if we can trade ‘em.”

 

“Who, those guys?” Furiosa looked at the two men around a fire nearby. They sounded cranky and this didn't seem like one of Ace’s better ideas.

 

“No, not them. We'll leave those guys alone for the night.” Ace definitely wanted his troop to leave those two alone. They’d been bickering over a tent earlier, and he wasn’t sure they’d entirely resolved things by now. “Go ask the other group of scouts.”

 

Furiosa grabbed a few chocolate bars and Ace handed his flashlight to Nux so the two could safely get to the other camp site. The duo stamped through scattered leaves as they headed over to the other firepit. The troop leader was playing her acoustic guitar and the girls were all joined in to a song Nux was sure he’d heard somewhere before but he couldn’t quite place it.

 

“ _F is for Friends who do stuff together._

_U is for You and Meee!_

_N is for anywhere and anytime at all!_

_Down here in the Green Valley!_ ”

 

He lowered the flashlight and waved timidly. “Uh...hello? We’re from City Scouts, over there.” He pointed to their own campsite.

 

The five girls stared at the two for a moment, when an introduction was finally made by their leader. “Hi, City Scouts. We’re the Green Girls. I’m Miss Giddy. And who are you?”

 

He planted a thumb in his chest and stood up straighter. “I'm Nux, and this is Furiosa.” She nodded a few times, her right arm full of chocolate bars.

 

“You're from Westland, right?” Miss Giddy recognized the city logos printed on their grey t-shirts. The neighborhood had a rough reputation, but she'd found it harmless and full of good people when she'd rented a small studio apartment back in the day at the art institute. The two nodded confirmation and she supplied more information. “We’re not too far from you guys. Casa Verde is just on the other side of the highway.” She'd found a bargain on a mission-style home just before it had turned into an overpriced, cookie-cutter neighborhood.

 

A spark of recognition in Nux. “I know that town! My mom, well, my foster mom, she takes me and my brother there to go to the big castle park.” They'd spent hours chasing each other down the playground’s squeaky board walks and climbing the wooden towers, pretending to be space-robot-pirates the last time.

Furiosa wasn't great at small talk and saw this as an opportunity to offer the goods. “We’re out of graham crackers. Could we maybe trade with you for chocolate, if you have any?” She held up her barter and tried to look...smiley. Val always told her she was too scowly around strangers.

 

“I think that's a fair trade. That ok with you, girls?” She was met with a few nods and shrugs. “Capable, the box is next to you. Want to help out our new friends Furiosa and Nux?”

 

Capable nodded and got up to hand the pack of crackers to Furiosa “Here you go. They're gluten free.” She was well-practiced in offering this information since Dag was allergic to practically everything, it seemed.

 

Furiosa fumbled a little switching the chocolate to Capable while not dropping the new box of crackers. “Um, thanks.” She could sense the uneasiness and just wanted to get back to her own friends, the ones who really knew her and knew she wasn't such an awkward mess around new people.

 

Nux felt the need to speak up. “Oh, cool! Gluten-free, my favorite! I always thought the, uh, gluten things made them taste gross.”

 

Furiosa glared at him. He had no clue what he was talking about. “Thanks again, Miss Giddy. We better get back to our camp.”

 

“A pleasure to meet you, Furiosa. And Nux. Maybe we'll see you on the lake tomorrow? For canoeing?” Nux nodded enthusiastically and Furiosa led him back to camp.

 

The youngest Green Girl looked around the group cautiously. “They were kinda weird, right...?” Her parents always used their adult tone of voice when talking about Westland and it didn't seem like a place their friends visited much.

 

Angharad’s jaw dropped. “Cheedo! No unnecessary bitchiness, remember?”

 

Cheedo was sorry for what she’d said but was also a little frustrated with herself. She was still trying to figure out what the older girls thought was cool, and it could be really confusing sometimes.

 

“Whatever.” Toast shrugged. “I think she looked rad as heck.” Toast had always wanted a short hairstyle like that but her mom wouldn't allow it until she was no longer in private school and could go to Verde High School. That seemed so far away, and what if she didn't even want that style when it came down to make the choice?

 

Miss Giddy corrected her. “Toast, the proper wording is rad as _hell_. And I agree with Angharad. We girls need to lift each other up!” Miss Giddy tried not to worry about other’s opinions, and she was well-versed in dealing with uptight, judgey parents who didn’t approve of her free-spirited sensibilities. Some days, it was enough to make her want to quit the Green Girls and focus on her art projects full-time but in the end, it was worth it that her girls were learning to think for themselves.

 

Back at the City Scouts campsite, Max was concentrating on stacking the pieces of his s’mores. He bit his lower lip as he squashed the melted marshmallow onto the chocolate and reached for the top cracker. Just one more piece before he could-

 

“-and a buggity-BOO!” A flying elbow from Slit who was finishing his scary story animatedly, and Max’s snack was knocked to the ground. “They never saw Little Timmy ever again!” He'd been telling them an urban legend of a kid who haunted the elevator of Westland City Hospital.

 

“Watch it, Slit!” Furiosa grabbed the bag of marshmallows and started to hand it to Max so he could make a new one but he just shrugged, picked up the s’more from the ground, and took a bite.

 

Val and Morsov laughed in disbelief. It had fallen in the dirt and he still wanted to eat it? Max eyed the two as he ate, unsure if they were laughing at him or at Slit.

 

Nux patted him on the back. “Pine needles never hurt anyone. Miss Keep makes a really good tea out of them when she’s sick.” He hoped this explanation made Max’s behavior seem less weird to the others.

 

Val stopped laughing at Max and had an idea. “Ooooh, Ace! Can we make pine needle tea in the morning? Please??” She clasped her hands together under her chin.

 

Ace broke his drowsy gaze from the fire. His eyes had glazed over and he couldn't remember the last time he'd blinked. “Morning tea, Val? Yeah, of course.” He'd only heard part of what she’d asked.

 

It was getting late, time to shut things down around the fire. Or at least get the kids moving in that direction. “So, you guys have a good first day?” Ace leaned forward to spread the coals with a stick to kill down the fire while he listened to their replies.

 

The group turned to Morsov and erupted in giggles. He waved his roasting stick around indignantly. “Shut up! I was brave today. You all saw me.”

 

“We saw you, yes.” Ace rested his elbows on his knees. “Did we maybe _learn_ somethin?” He figured it’d take a little group-think to change Morsov’s definition of brave. “C’mon gang, you’re a bunch of smart cookies. Max?”

 

Max looked up from where he was fidgeting with the zipper of his Ninja Turtles jacket to answer Ace bluntly. “Don't mess with the wildlife.”

 

“You got it, pal.” Ace offered Max a high five. He was met with a sticky little hand covered in marshmallow and pine needles.

 

“We’re stronger as a group.” He continued, “No glory in straying from the pack and trying to be a hero. _Especially_ if there's a skunk involved.” That was enough learning for the night, and little Morsov had certainly had a long day of it.

 

The scouts were dispatched to their tent while Ace worked on pouring water over the campfire and hanging their bag of trash up a tree. Raccoons and bears’d have to work if they wanted a snack tonight. He walked a security perimeter around the campsite and kept eyes on the two men next door for a minute before zipping into the tent.

 

Nux heard the tent unzip and saw Ace inchworm into his own sleeping bag over at the door. He put away his Hot Wheels comic book and clicked off his headlamp, deciding he’d have to wait until morning to ask about canoeing. Hopefully he'd get to introduce his troop to the new friends he’d met earlier.

 

* * *

 

At the other campsite, Ranger Joe cursed the cloud of insects around him and swatted at a mosquito on his forearm. “We need to get this fire going bigger. Bugs are all over me tonight.”

 

“Wouldn't need a giant fire to repel ‘em if ya  just put on the bug spray for once in your life.” Ranger Kal sprayed the finishing touches of repellent to his legs and held out the can to Joe, shaking it a few times to try and win him over. They'd had this conversation many times while working together, the two never straying from their own opinions no matter how many times they circled the issue.

 

“You're going to grow an extra arm, the way you use it. That stuff’s toxic.” Joe refused to accept his offering, opting instead to scoot closer to the fire.

 

“Suit yourself, but I’m not going to be the one waking up with bumps and lumps all over because I was scared of a little Deet.” A devious chuckle and he crouched down to pair his lighter with the aerosol can spray, sending a plume of flame across the low burning logs and causing Joe to jump back from the sudden burst in fire.

 

“Holy hell, Kal! Trying to burn my face off?” He ran a hand through his beard to dust off stray embers.  

 

A shrug and another blast of fire for good measure. “Sounds like the kids’ve all turned in. Are we officially off the clock now?” He eyed the cooler of beers Ranger Joe was using as a makeshift stool.

 

Halfway through the beers, a pyramid of cans had been constructed on a log and Ranger Kal quickly drew the pistol from his ankle holster, aiming through the fire.

 

Ranger Joe stopped mid-sip to exclaim, “How drunk are you? You'll wake everyone!”

 

Two faint pops and Ranger Kal had toppled the highest can. He slowly turned to Joe and blew the non-existent smoke off the barrel of the gun for dramatic effect.

 

“All these years carrying...and your backup is a _BB gun_??” Ranger Joe was bewildered. Besides range training, he actually only ever drawn his weapon at what he’d thought was a bear cub scuttling around a dumpster one night, but was actually a few obese Racoons.

 

The beers were drained and it was time to cram into the palace Rich had provided for them. Elbows went flying to faces and curses to each other’s mothers were spat out as the Rangers got settled.

 

Ranger Kal waited for things to quiet down before deciding it was okay to disturb the man about to be asleep at his shoulder. “Uh, Joe?”

 

“What??” He snapped over crossed arms. 

   
“Can you let me out? I need to get up and take a leak.”

 

It was a miracle Ranger Joe hadn't severely snapped on his partner all summer, but there was still time.


	3. Chapter 3

Max stirred the steaming pot of oatmeal with one hand and rubbed his sleepy eyes with the other. He hadn't slept well surrounded by the snores of his group and the unknowable sounds outside the tent. At one point he'd thought he heard something the size of a bear walking around the woods nearby, but didn't decide to wake anyone up when the noise eventually died down and their tent zipper remained closed. 

 

Ace watched the breakfast scene unfold over his mug of coffee. His group and the other group of girls were clanging pans and closing van doors loudly. It looked like the two Rangers were still passed out in their weirdly small tent, maybe if the kids kept at it they'd get up and help with the canoe situation. Earlier that morning Ace walked to the lake and discovered that all the recreation equipment was chained together and padlocked to a wooden fence.

 

He saw the pony-tailed Ranger emerge from his tent and decided he’d better take care of the canoes before the two disappeared. “Ah, ‘scuse me. Ranger...Joe.” He looked over the man’s name badge clipped to his pine green uniform, shirt buttons still undone and tails untucked. The groggy man paused from where he was crouched over the campfire stirring the coals to life. He hadn’t found his voice yet that morning so he just looked up with an eyebrow raised.

 

“You mind unlocking the canoes when you get a sec? Kids’r hoping to use ‘em this morning.” Ace was only met with a grunt and a nod. “Ok...good talk. ‘Preciate it.” He returned to his Scouts to assign dish washing duty and general site clean-up.

 

Ranger Kal waited for the Scout’s leader to walk away before announcing from his sleeping bag inside the tent, “Nice going with the lock, Rictus. He concerned the otters are gonna steal the canoes? Ride ‘em down the canyon?” In all reality, it was probably Rich who made the maintenance department lock down anything that wasn’t part of the natural terrain. They’d had their share of vandals in the park, but no one ever bothered to mess with the remote site they currently occupied. 

 

Ranger Joe sifted through the keys clipped to his belt and muttered a few choice words. Maintenance definitely wasn’t in the shop yet, and it was too early to radio anyone else to bring the right keys out unless they wanted to wait a while. “Yeah, that’s a negative on the key situation. How much you wanna bet he just left ‘em on Rich’s desk after we left?”

 

Ranger Kal popped his head from the tent door with a devious grin. “What if I told ya I have a better solution? One with immediate results?” He stepped into his boots, secured his wide-brimmed hat, and ambled towards the lake with his hand on his holstered pistol.

 

Moments later, Ranger Joe straightened from his pot of coffee at the echo of two shots fired, straight through the chain, he imagined. “Well, I suppose that’s one way to do it.” It was probably for the best Rich hadn’t assigned them to the main campsite. There were only so many write-ups a Ranger could legally keep in his file.

 

* * *

 

 

The City Scouts were being outfitted with bright orange life-vests on the rocky beach of the lake when the Green Girls joined them, led by Miss Giddy. “There enough for us to join in?”    
  


Ace spun from where he was cinching Max’s life vest belt and nodded to Miss Giddy. They’d spoken earlier that morning once he’d talked to the Ranger about unlocking everything. “Yeah, rest of the vests are stacked under the first canoe. Your girls thinkin’ of showing us how it’s done?” Ace stood and eyed their competition. Most were taller than his group of Scouts, save for Nux.

 

Toast lit up at the challenge. “Ooh, race! Race! Race!!” She jumped a few times and punched Dag’s shoulder. They’d been the rowing champions all summer, their differences in build and strength complementing each other’s technique. 

 

“I call dibs on Nux and Max!” Slit was quick to build the best team he thought possible. Val was probably also a strong rower, he guessed, but he didn’t want to take a chance on Morsov and Furiosa. There was no telling how much those two would slow him down on the water.

 

Nux ran over to the ranger nearest the beach. “Ranger Joe! Ranger Joe!! Can you watch our race? We need someone who isn’t going to judge dirty. Plus you have a whistle, right?” He and Slit had recently introduced themselves to the rangers, impressed by their shiny badges and array of neat tools clipped to their belts. The boys had tried to help but mostly got underfoot as the grown-ups organized the pile of canoes, paddles, and life vests.

 

The two returned as Ace was explaining the rules. “So when I signal, row straight out to that rock outcropping,” he pushed a hand in the general direction, “the one with the three pines. Remember, gotta come back as a team. If you get to bein’ the lead boat, you need to wait till your second boat beaches it before you start celebratin’ a win.” A scowl from Slit as he realized he’d be slowed down by the others in his troop after all.

 

“I heard you need someone to justly officiate the Inaugural Battle for Yellowstone Lake.” Ace and Miss Giddy looked to each other and agreed to Ranger Joe’s offer, ignoring the air of self-importance he’d attached to it. At least this way the kids couldn’t fight over who was deemed the winner. “Return to the beach before the other Scouts, and I myself will crown you canoe champions of the entire park for the whole weekend.” He hooked his thumbs to his belt and elicited hushed wonderment from some of the kids at the thought of attaining such notoriety.

 

The sharp blow of Ranger Joe’s whistle cut through the mountain air and the two groups were off, frantically pushing through the shallows of the lake and cutting smoothly into open water. Miss Giddy balled her fists and cheered on as Angharad and Capable broke to the front of the pack, followed closely by Toast, Dag, and Cheedo in the other canoe.

 

Ace cupped his hands to his mouth so his crew could hear him. “That’s the way, work together! Find a groove and roll with it!” He already figured his gang was beat judging by the Green Girl’s practiced technique, but they were strong and scrappy and wouldn't make it an easy fight.

 

The four canoes reached the halfway point and circled around, the City Scouts kicking it into high gear as they realized they might lose. 

 

“They’re gaining on us! Dig in, girls!” Angharad nodded to Toast from the other boat and they both knew what needed to be done. Trying to set a faster pace for Angharad to follow, Capable gripped the paddle tighter and increased her row frequency, her eyes set on Miss Giddy’s form getting closer on the beach. Before she could react, she caught a chop the wrong way and her paddle slipped from her hands and floated on the surface.

 

Planted on a car-sized boulder on the beach, Ranger Joe stood and watched the race through his binoculars, occasionally taking his eyes off the water to scan the tree line. He needed to radio the tower for a fire report and weather update soon, and wondered where Ranger Kal had wandered after they had gotten the campers situated. His pondering was interrupted when he heard an increase in commotion on the water. The red-haired girl was reaching over the side of her boat for something while the canoe containing the tall, lanky boy was quickly approaching. 

 

The boy stood to point into the water and leaned over the side, pulling his shorter friend to the side to help reach for something. In a flash, the canoe of three boys had flipped and the girls were screeching, still immobile at their side now that they'd lost a paddle. 

 

Nux’s breath halted and his muscles seized up as he was dunked in the frigid lake. His head popped to the surface but he was trapped in the darkness of the flipped canoe. He could hear sputters and chokes from one other boy, guessing it was Max since Slit would have been screaming by now. Before panic truly set in, he was brought back to sunlight as the girls flipped the canoe right side up. 

 

Slit was already in the girls’ canoe and helped Capable pull Nux and Max to safety while Angharad leaned to the side to balance out the rescue load. Automatically she was using what she’d learned in swift water rescue training before a rafting trip the previous month.

 

Capable’s paddle was long gone by now, but she was able to recover the three the boys had lost when they’d flipped. She tied their canoes together using the stern line from under her seat, although the recently-tipped canoe was now almost halfway filled with water. “Angharad! We need to get back, now!” The boy's teeth were chattering through bluish lips and their arms were covered in goosebumps. 

 

Val, Furiosa and Morsov reached the beach shortly after Toast, Dag, and Cheedo, all caught up in the competition and oblivious to their teammate’s peril until they’d arrived on shore to see their leaders running into the water. As the linked boats neared shore, Miss Giddy and Ace ran into the lake to knee depth, desperate to check on everyone’s safety. 

 

They helped pull the boat onto the rocks and Ace lifted Max by his armpits from the canoe, noticing he was still unable to speak through a fit of shivering and coughing. He carried him to a flat rock and pulled the life vest over his head, firmly patting his back with the heel of his palm as the boy continued to cough up bubbles of spit and water. Ranger Joe stood above them with his radio poised to call for backup, but decided it wasn’t needed just yet since the boy hadn’t coughed up blood or vomited. 

 

Slit jumped out of the canoe and stomped to where the others had gathered, furious that his perfect team roster had been the wrong choice. “We coulda won, Nux! But instead, we almost died! And  _ you  _ helped him!” He looked to Max accusingly, but his face fell when he realized his friend was really in trouble. He lingered for a moment and then stormed away towards the tent, not wanting anyone to know that he was becoming more and more upset as Max continued to choke up lake water.

 

Nux remembered the first thing he’d been taught about hypothermia and peeled off his green shorts and City Scouts tshirt, revealing his favorite Spider-Man boxers and ignoring the uneasy laughs of his friends, who weren’t sure how serious things actually were since the adults were staying calm.  He tried to pry Max’s shirt from his back, pushing Ace’s hand aside to accomplish his mission. “You’re going into hypothermic shock, Max! You need to get dry and get warm...lemme help!” Nux took his First Aid certification very seriously but had never had to use anything he’d learned until just now.

 

Max was finally able to speak, desperation in his voice “No...NO, Nux!” Max clamped Nux’s wrist to shove him away, small hand almost translucent from both cold exposure and adrenal fatigue. 

 

“He said no, Nux.” Ace nudged Nux aside with his elbow and straightened the back of Max’s shirt back down. “Now leave ‘im be and let ‘im get sorted.” Miss Keep hadn’t revealed to him or Maadi the full circumstances of Max coming to live with her at the beginning of summer, but Ace figured it had to do with a few faded, thin welts he’d noticed peeking through the back of Max’s shirt collar one time. 

 

‘You’re gonna be okay.” Ace clamped his hands on Max’s shoulders and bent his head down to look him straight on. “Just need some time to calm down, is all.”

 

Satisfied the situation had de-escalated, Ranger Joe left them and added, “If he keeps coughing later or starts to throw up, you get me or Ranger Kal right away. Same thing if he turns blue.” He’d heard of kids passing in their sleep hours after being pulled to safety, though he didn’t want to scare anyone with the mention of “dry drowning”. 

 

Ace carried Max back to their campsite, followed by the rest of the City Scouts who knew to keep quiet as the excitement was dying down. Once Max was in his dry clothes, Nux timidly entered the tent and shuffled through his own backpack. “Here, Max. You can wear the Turtles jacket now. I know Ace said it was mine in the mornings, but…”

 

He accepted the offer and pulled the masked turtle hood over his eyes, causing Nux and himself to both giggle. Slit rolled his eyes and turned to face them from where he was cocooned in his sleeping bag. “Um, a little quiet would be nice. I’m trying to nap!” He, too, caught the giggles when he saw the face Max was making under the mask. It wasn’t everyday their most serious Scout turned goofy. 

 

They quieted and Slit lowered his voice, not wanting the others outside to hear him. “Guys, sorry I yelled at you. I was just mad we lost. And...and I thought Max was really hurt, ok??” He huffed and turned into his sleeping bag again, not sure how they’d take that last bit.

 

Nux shrugged, already forgetting about how his friend reacted earlier. “It’s ok. Next time I want to go swimming, I’ll let you know a little more in advance.” Looking back on it, Slit would’ve yelled at him anyways for helping Capable reach her dropped paddle. 

 

Furiosa called them from outside the tent, letting them know it was time to eat. Ace had gotten the fire started back up and put on the kettle, and she’d quickly went about finding the box of hot chocolate mix before Val could remember to suggest brewing pine needle tea.

 

Miss Giddy happened upon the City Scouts as they were competing to see who could spit their watermelon seeds into the fire from furthest away. She almost crossed Morsov’s line of fire but stepped back when she realized what they were all actually doing. “Um, we're about to do some painting in our crafting tent. If you guys would like to join in, we have plenty of room and extra supplies.”

 

The scouts looked to Ace, a little uncertain at the sudden change in programming. He was trying to be discreet about answering Miss Giddy around the cheekful of watermelon seeds he was storing. “Sure, you guys want to do, uh, crafts?” He and Maadi typically focused their troop on community service projects and outdoors activities, not leaving much in the way for any type of handiwork besides painting the fences at Westland City Park or learning to tie knots.

 

* * *

 

 

Craft time turned out to be painting whatever they wanted on smooth, flat rocks the Green Girls collected from the beach, ignoring Ranger Joe’s remarks that they were stealing park property. “Government property” he further warned when they rolled their eyes at the first threat. He didn’t really care, but afternoon work detail had been uneventful after the canoe race, and he just wanted to give them all a hard time. Ranger Kal was content to drive endless loops around the campsite, patrolling for bears, he’d said.

 

Val dipped the end of her long braid in a jar of green and used it to paint the outline of a frog. She planned to give it a yellow crown when the paint dried. She leaned over to study the lily pad Dag was concentrating on painting, not yet knowing it would soon host an ugly troll creature.

 

“Aww, I wish I had a braid. I wanna paint with my hair!” Morsov pouted and pulled at his mop of brown hair, as if doing so would will it to grow faster. He had started painting a campfire on his rock, but turned it into an explosion when the flames became too messy. 

 

“If you start now, you might have one grown out by next summer.” Cheedo giggled at Morsov and returned to painting her sunset, drawing on memory from the first night they’d gone to the lake to watch it. There had been so much purple and pink on the lake, it was a mystery trying to recreate it without things looking like a puddle of melted ice cream.

 

Capable set down her paintbrush and followed Val’s lead, using her left braid to dot the black tires of a big red truck. From her painting of a spotted brown-and-yellow trout breaching the water, Miss Giddy complimented the girls’ inventiveness and tried to get the other leader into painting. “Very resourceful, girls. Now there are enough brushes to share with Mister Ace.” 

 

Ace popped up from where he rested his chin on his palm, watching Toast, Max and Furiosa paint a trio of wolves on their rocks. They had started out as different types of dogs before the group got to debating what wildlife was the most likely to come after children in the night. 

 

“Y’know, I actually need to go check with the Rangers for a weather report.” He looked past the tent post to the west where the clouds were darkening and wind was blowing swirls of leaves across the bay. “And I need t’see what our check-out procedures are gonna be in the morning.” A few “ _ awwws _ ” and sighs of disappointment from the group at his mention of packing up and leaving.

 

* * *

 

After the painting supplies were packed up and stones were set flat for drying under the Green Girl’s craft tent, Ace had his Scouts move their tent away from the grove of junipers and out from under any potential for falling limbs. 

 

He taught Val and Slit to use the collapsible shovels to dig a shallow trench around the tent. “Rangers say we’re gonna get dumped on later, no use in waking up in a rain puddle if we can help it.”

 

Max and Morsov secured the newly-set guy lines while Furiosa tapped in the stakes further, preparing for the high winds the Rangers said would accompany the storm.

 

At the first sign of raindrops, the Scouts had already packed up their dinner, put out the fire, and huddled around a lantern in the center of their tent. Ace instructed them to bunch their sleeping bags in closer, away from the tent poles, although he knew the aluminum wasn’t as much a threat for lighting rods as the trees from which they’d just moved away. 

 

“So, what are we gonna do now?” Nux had finished his comic book and didn’t think to bring any board games for the trip. 

 

“We’ll hunker down early and sleep through the storm, that’s what.” Ace shrugged and stowed a pack of spare batteries in the mesh tent pocket overhead, preparing for at least three flashlights to go out in his worst-case scenario.

 

“I know! More ghost stories!!” Slit shoved a flashlight under his own chin, leering through a shadowy, menacing grin at Morsov. This caused the younger boy to huddle closer to Max, who also didn’t seem to be a fan of scary stories. 

 

Val found a pack of playing cards in her backpack and a jumbo bag of jelly beans. “How about we play Texas Hold’em!” She shook the bag of candy and was met with approval from everyone. Maadi had taught her to play the poker variation after they’d tired of playing Go Fish and Crazy Eights last summer.

 

She explained the rules and the group got to betting, each starting with thirty jelly beans once the bag was fully divided. Morsov didn’t quite grasp the rules, so he was in charge of Ace’s stash of candy, handing him a couple at a time in between deals and secretly eating a few.

 

After a few hands, it was obvious to the group who the best liars were and who couldn’t keep a good hand a secret. Furiosa was able to conceal her good fortune if she just stared at the center of the pot, where the jelly beans had been piled. Nux usually got too excited about a winning deal and, after Slit called him on it, had taken to reacting the same way for both good and bad hands.

 

“Two cowboys. I fold.” Ace reached to the center to toss his Kings with the rest of the pile and swatted Morsov away from eating all the candy. His pile of jelly beans had dwindled as their game went on, but he knew he wasn’t that lousy at betting. Morsov had also been pillaging Max’s pile when he thought no one was looking.

 

Slit noticed the edge of a tattoo at Ace’s sleeve, pushing at his tshirt to uncover an anchor on his bicep. “Ace, what’s that for?” He traced an outline around the anchor with his finger and puzzled at the script around it, written in a language he couldn’t read.

 

“It’s so I can remember my old friends, Slit.” He paused to think about what he’d just said and his voice softened, trying to navigate the foreign words that came next. “Guys that I...won't get to see anymore. Yeah.” He blinked hard a few times and busied himself with rearanging his cards. He had been at peace with the second half of that statement, but it wasn't something he'd revealed aloud to anyone yet.

 

Furiosa met his eyes over the lantern, breaking her stoic poker face. “Do you miss them?  I mean, your friends?” She’d had to go to so many grief counselors over the last year and had only been met with a sympathetic nod, a pat to the arm, a “one day at a time” from so many adults but none of them had ever seemed sad  _ with  _ her, just sad  _ for  _ her. Aunt Maadi had come the closest to getting her to open up, but it was ultimately something Furiosa had to do in her own time.

 

Ace thought a moment and answered her. “Yeah, I do. All the time. But I got the boys at the garage, and Maadi’s been a friend lately,” he looked from Furiosa to Val at the mention of their guardian. “And you guys are my pals, too.” Morsov grinned at the thought of that, his teeth stained with the remnants of red and purple jelly beans. 

 

“Guys, I really hope we're all still friends next summer.” Nux rested his chin on his hands and looked around the group hopefully.

 

“We  _ will _ be. And now, there’s more of us.” Furiosa nodded to Max and thought about the upcoming school year. They were all mixed between several grades, but they'd see each other around the cafeteria and the gym and at Scout events. Max would be in her grade, and it’d be nice for him to know other kids at school besides just Nux.

 

The poker game had ended, Val winning back most of her jelly beans but sharing them with everyone at the end. Ace thought what Maadi might say, about too much sugar this late and Scouts bouncing off the tent wall. But it was their last hurrah before school started, and he had a feeling they’d all be worn out in the morning from their adventure-filled weekend.


	4. Chapter 4

 

Miss Giddy and the Green Girls woke early the next morning to pack up their site  before the other campers had started to rouse. Their tent leaked all night and the girls were soggy and miserable, not having slept more than a few good hours.

 

According to Ranger Kal, the rain wasn't going to let up anytime in the morning so no one objected to getting back to Casa Verde sooner than expected.

 

Ranger Joe woke to tires screeching on pavement, but couldn’t see around him through the foggy windows of the Bronco. After discovering the tent Rich bought them was shit for rain protection, him and Ranger Kal begrudgingly holed up in their vehicle, unable to even lean their seats back with how much gear was stowed behind them. If he didn’t already have back problems, they’d be a real medical issue after last night.

 

He rolled his window down to suddenly find Ace running straight toward him, barefoot and with no sign of slowing. “Scouts are in trouble down the hill! Need a tow, now! Go! Go!!”

 

Ranger Joe turned the engine over and Ranger Kal used his uniform shirt to wipe off the fog from the windshield. They sped down the campsite road and slammed the brakes around the first bend to find a fallen tree in front of them, the Green Girl’s van swerved to their right with the front end submersed halfway in the stream, being pulled slowly downstream in the raging current of the storm-fed waters.

 

Miss Giddy continued to punch it in reverse, gaining only a tire’s length as the water threatened to push them further into the current. Among the cries of the group, she shouted a last resort. “Girls, move to the back seat _now_! We need to balance out the nose!”

 

Angharad tried to calm the rest of the bunch, helping Cheedo out of her seatbelt and climb to the back with Toast and Dag. Capable was at Giddy’s shoulder and pointing to the rearview mirror. “Look, the Rangers!”

 

Ranger Joe positioned the Bronco as close to the water’s edge as he could manage, and Ranger Kal hopped out to loosen the hook of the winch, wading through the stream and straining to hook on to the rear bumper of the distressed van without getting carried away himself.

 

He wrapped one arm around a log in the water and stretched his other arm as far as it’d go with the hook in hand, mere inches from the towing shackle welded to the underside of the van’s bumper. “Come on, you son of a biii-”

 

Ranger Joe nudged the Bronco forward and it was enough that Ranger Kal could connect the hook to the shackle. He climbed back to the log, out of the way of the rescue path, and raised a hand towards the Bronco, waving it back. “She’s on! _Gun it_!!”

 

A tug-of-war game ensued as the vehicles struggled in reverse against the current, making slow gains before being pulled back downstream a van’s length. A final slip of tires and Ranger Joe shifted the SUV from four-high to four-low, giving them the traction needed to grip the mud and rock and slowly make it back to the safety of the camp road.

 

They were met by the City Scouts, all awake and piled into their van to make sure the Green Girls were alright. Ace told his group to stay in the van and joined Ranger Joe at Miss Giddy’s window, trying to figure out if anyone was hurt over the whir of the winch motor Ranger Kal was using to retract the cable.

 

“The tree...it just came out of nowhere. Didn’t want to hit it straight on, you know?” Miss Giddy gripped the wheel and let out her breath. For a second she wondered if the parents would ever sign off to another camping trip.

 

“Hey, if it wasn’t you, it woulda been us in that position. Saw the struggle from up top. Our van woulda been toast.” Dread pooled in Ace’s stomach as he considered the state of their own worn tires.

 

Ranger Joe left the two and took to his radio. “Unit Eight to Maintenance...” He continued without waiting for a response. “Rictus! You and Rip get your asses out to Group sites _now_. Trees need to be cleared from the road.” If Rich or Corpus or anyone else wanted to give him hell for breaking radio protocol again, they’d have to wait until he calmed down.

 

Miss Giddy needed to keep talking, needed to keep the tone normal for her Girls while everyone was still calming down. “Maybe we’ll see you guys around town? We usually walk in the big Christmas parade, right behind Santa’s float.”

 

“Yeah, maybe.” Ace wasn’t sure if Westlanders were eligible to walk in Casa Verde city events. That was probably a question for Maadi. “You know, we could always go for a rematch on the lake this fall. Still don’t have a canoe race winner.”

  


* * *

 

Ace led the scouts through a few road songs on the drive back, hoping to tire out the group for the rest of the way home. One by one they’d started to sleep, Furiosa trying her hardest to stay awake in the front seat but her head kept bobbing whenever they steered around a sharp curve. Max was asleep on Nux’s shoulder, still a little twitchy but less so than during last night’s thunderstorm.

 

Nux looked around and softly announced to whoever was still awake “You guys, this was the best trip ever.” He looked back at Slit and Val with Morsov asleep between them.

 

Val looked up from her magazine in the back seat and agreed “Yeah, Nux. Best trip ever.”

 

Maadi heard the crunch of gravel as the van parked. She crutched out to meet them with her camera around her neck, ready to capture their annual end-of-summer picture.

 

Ace parked the van and greeted her. “They’re dropping like flies. I better load the boy’s bikes and get them home.”

 

Maadi understood but wanted to capture the moment before they all scattered. “Let's get a group picture to close out the summer. It's tradition. Hats and bandanas on, all of you!”

 

The tired gang lined up next to Ace, doing their best to stand tall and match his posture but mostly just looking like a row of meerkats.

 

“Ok, on the count of three, everyone say _City Scouts_!” Maadi raised the camera and-

 

_click_

 

“Slit! You’re such a little toad!!” Val spun around to see Slit’s fingers above her head in a V.

 

“What? _What_?? It’s just bunny ears!” He looked around the group with upturned palms, getting a playful swat to the back of his head by Nux. “We were trying to take a serious picture, Slit!”

 

Furiosa grabbed her backpack and Val followed, both ready to take a hot shower and sleep in their own beds. “See you losers next week at school!” Val grinned and waved, knowing she'd be protective of all of her younger friends if anyone tried to mess with them in the halls.

 

Maadi crutched over to Ace as he was wheeling the boys’ bikes from her shed. “Ace, thanks for bringing them all back in one piece. I owe ya, big time.” She meant that too, knowing how much energy went into keeping the Scouts safe and happy.

 

“Nah, wasn’t anything. Had to be done.” He finished hooking on the boys’ bikes and turned to Maadi. “Besides, there’s always the winter campout.”

 

She knew exactly what he was getting at. "Ace, if you think we're hosting it in my backyard again, you have another thing coming." Not sure if her neighbors would be okay with that, the way last winter’s shindig went. Either way, things could always be negotiated at their next Scout meeting.


End file.
